FAQ
Below are some of the most frequently asked questions I have received about life coaching. If your question is not addressed here, please contact me and ask anything you want!
What is Life Coaching?
What’s the Difference Between Life Coaching and Therapy?
How does Life Coaching work, logistically?
What are common issues that a Life Coach could help me with?
How should I prepare for a Life Coaching session?
What is an average length of time that you work with a Life Coach?
What kinds of things do you talk about in a session?
What is Life Coaching?
Life coaching is a partnership between a client and her coach designed to provide support, encouragement, accountability and tools to further the life goals of the client. A good life coach is insightful, present, supportive, and encouraging. She will also ask powerful questions, provide accountability, and offer an unbiased perspective.
A life coach can help you gain clarity on what you really want, help to identify the obstacles that keep you stuck, and provide strategies to overcome those obstacles.
While a life coach may have a process in mind (as I do), ultimately it is YOUR interests, desires, and goals that will drive the agenda of the coaching sessions.
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What’s the Difference Between Life Coaching and Therapy?
To put it most simply, therapy tends to focus on working through your past, while life coaching focuses on your future with the aim of helping you determine and achieve personal goals (and creating a life you love!)
Unlike therapy, life coaching does NOT focus on examining the past. Instead, coaching focuses on helping you create change in your current and future life. And unlike therapy, life coaching does not diagnose mental illness or dysfunction.
While both disciplines provide care and support and both have a goal to create change, therapy tends to focus more on resolving past trauma and processing painful past events. Coaching focuses on your current thoughts, behaviors, barriers, and blocks to creating the kind of future you desire.
For some coaching clients, therapy may be recommended if there is significant unresolved trauma from your past that is getting in the way of you creating a life you love.
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How does Life Coaching work, logistically?
Most of my coaching sessions take place over the phone (which means we can partner no matter where you live). If you happen to live in Western North Carolina and want to meet in person, we can arrange that.
Most sessions are 55-minutes in length, although longer “power” sessions can be arranged. The length of a coaching relationship can last anywhere from a single session to a year or more. However, the most effective time frame to achieve long-term life change is to meet with a life coach for at least three months.
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What are common issues that a Life Coach could help me with?
Common issues range from questions about who you are in the world/life meaning to more “everyday” issues. For example:
Who are you in the world/Life Meaning
* A desire for a more fulfilling life
* Discovering your life purpose
* Developing greater self-esteem and confidence
* Generalized feelings of “stuckness” or depression
* Feeling like something is missing from your life
“Everyday” Issues:
* Wanting to change careers
* Preparing for a high-stakes event (presentation, hard conversation, job interview, etc.)
* Creating more satisfying relationships (partner, parents, friends, colleagues, etc.)
* Finding a partner
* Dealing with life after a crisis
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How should I prepare for a Life Coaching session?
There are two things you should do to prepare for your first life coaching session:
1) Complete the pre-work packet I will provide to you.
2) Settle in to a quiet, comfortable space where you will be uninterrupted while we talk.
That’s it!
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What is an average length of time that you work with a Life Coach?
The length of a coaching relationship can vary greatly! They can last anywhere from a single session to a year or more. I recommend a minimum of one month (three sessions). However, the most effective time frame to achieve long-term life change is to meet with a life coach for at least three months.
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What kinds of things do you talk about in a session?
Ultimately it is YOUR interests, desires, and goals that will drive the agenda of the coaching sessions.
Having said that, there is a loose process that I work from. It looks something like this:
1. The Beginning: We’ll look at where are you now, why do you desire change, and what could
stop you from starting.
2. Dreaming: You’ll get clear on where you want to be. What is your ideal, no-barriers,
wave-a-magic-wand kind of life?
3. Awareness: We’ll look at the barriers that hold you back. And we’ll look at who is driving the bus of your life. We all have multiple voices that guide our actions – you’ll observe and become aware of them. Then we’ll work to put your Authentic Self in the driver’s seat.
4. Feeling: We will strengthen your Authentic Self and your voice by feeling, grieving and accepting conflicting emotions. Once you accept them, they’re more willing to get out of your way. They’re more willing to help you create your ideal life.
5. Planning: How will you get from here to there? We’ll create a real plan to help you create a life you love. It will be your map – your treasure map to you.
6. Maintenance: Finally, we’ll talk about support. How will you get on-going support? We’ll make sure you are equipped with the tools you need to still be moving forward in a year, 5 years, 10 years, a lifetime.
Remember, this process is a loose one, and it is NOT linear! Where you are in your life and what you need most will be the determinant of your coaching session. Some clients work through all six steps, others spend the entire time focused on one area. You choose. This is YOUR time. To talk about anything.
